Chinese pensioner has 'just turned 127 years old

Is this woman the oldest person that ever lived?

Chinese pensioner has 'just turned 127 years old' (and claims she gave birth to her son at 61)

Luo Meizhen lives with her only son in Bama, in China's Guangxi province
She claims to have been born on July 9, 1885
Verified oldest person to have ever lived died at 122

A woman who claims to be the world's oldest person has allegedly celebrated her 127th birthday.

Luo Meizhen lives with her only son, who she reportedly gave birth to at the age of 61, in Bama, south China's Guangxi province.

She was born on July 9, 1885 in the Chinese lunar calendar, which this year fell on August 25 in the international calendar.

That would make her 127 - five years older than the verified oldest person who ever lived.

Survivor: Luo Meizhen, pictured with her son, claims to be a staggering 127 years old, an age that, if verified, would make her the oldest person to have ever lived


OLDEST PEOPLE WHO EVER LIVEDJeanne Calment, 1875 - 1997, 122 years and 164 days, France

Sarah Knauss, 1880 - 1999, 119 years and 97 days, U.S.
Lucy Hannah, 1875 - 1993, 117 years and 248 days, U.S.
Marie-Louise Meilleur, 1880 - 1998, 117 years and 230 days, Canada
María Capovilla, 1889 - 2006, 116 years and 347 days, Ecuador
Tane Ikai, 1879 - 1995, 116 years and 175 days, Japan

Elizabeth Bolden, 1890 - 2006, 116 years and 118 days, U.S.
Besse Cooper (still living), 1896 - ?, 116 years and 10 days, U.S.
Record-breaker? Luo lives in Bama in south China's Guangxi province and was reportedly born on July 9, 1885

At a birthday party held in her honour Luo ate a bowl of rice, two slices of pork, a piece of duck meat and chicken, and two pieces of cake.

Bama County is famous in China for the longevity of its residents. The 2000 census recorded 74 centenarians, a surprisingly large number considering the total population is only 238,000.

The ratio of centenarians there is 30.8 per 100,000, far exceeding the international standard of 25 per 100,000 for 'hometowns of longevity' - centenarian-clustered areas recognised by the International Natural Medicine Society.

Lou's claim to be 127 is likely to be met with a large dose of scepticism.

The verified oldest person in the world turned 116 just last month.

Birthday girl: Luo celebrates her special day last month with her family and friends


Make a wish: Luo's son helps her cut her 127th birthday cake

Besse Cooper, from Monroe, Georgia, rang in her 117th year of life on August 26, surrounded by friends and family at the nursing home where she now lives.

When asked about her secret to long life, Mrs Cooper told Guinness World Records: 'I mind my own business and I don't eat junk food.'

She was born on August 26, 1896, in Sullivan, Tennessee and moved to Georgia in 1917.

Besse has 12 grandchildren and a slew of great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.

The verified oldest person to have ever lived was Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who was born in 1875 and died in 1997 aged 122 years and 164 days old.

Good times: Luo shares a joke with her son and a young member of the family
Feast: Luo and some younger members of her clan pose for a photo